Martin Nieverra, Jed Madela admit ‘fear’ in performing Ryan Cayabyab’s songs

Performing the iconic songs of National Artist Ryan Cayabyab comes with pressure, but for the artists joining the “Unang Siklab LIYAB: Mga Himig ng Dakilang Pag-ibig” concert, his music also gives them the freedom to put their own interpretation into the songs.

Martin Nievera admitted that he feels the fear of performing Cayabyab’s compositions, especially with a lineup that includes some of the country’s acclaimed singers.

“It’s all fear. After hearing all of these hungry choirs, there’s Gigi, Jed and Bituin, the songs of Ryan Cayabyab, you really have to step up your game,” Nievera said during the concert’s press conference in Manila on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

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Nievera said the challenge is not simply singing Cayabyab’s songs but telling stories while staying faithful to the composer’s arrangements.

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“The most important thing is the way we tell the story,” Nievera said. “I think Mr. C. wrote it in a way, there’s a way of telling the story that won’t clash with the arrangement. They have to be one in the same. They have to somehow jive together.”

“The nice thing about it is Mr. C. has a very polite way of saying, just do it your way. In other words, you’ll never compare. Just do it your way,” he added.

READ: Gigi de Lana reveals pericarditis diagnosis after collapsing in recent gig

Jed Madela shared a similar sentiment, acknowledging that being handed a Cayabyab composition can initially bring pressure.

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“But once you’ve worked with him many times, he puts you in a place na hindi ka mapepressure,” he said.

“I think that’s also the beauty of his songs, na anybody can sing the song with a different flavor. It depends on how it attaches to you. It depends on how you relate to the song,” he added.

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Bituin Escalante, meanwhile, said that the beauty of Cayabyab’s compositions is that they can be interpreted by different artists without the need to compete with previous versions.

“The way Mr. C writes songs, it’s so easy to make them your own. So it’s never like, I wanna top this version, no. He’s written them in such a way that when you sing it, it’s yours,” she said.

“There is no fear in singing Ryan Cayabyab’s song because it’s just so beautifully written,” Escalante added.

Gigi de Lana said she immediately accepted the invitation, partly because she wanted to work with Cayabyab again after their first collaboration eight years ago.

“After eight years, I was very, very happy, excited, nervous, and yeah, I felt fear,” she said. “Because Mr. C.‘s song is not just music or music for my ears, it’s putting soul in it.”

“Unang Siklab LIYAB: Mga Himig ng Dakilang Pag-ibig,” which will be held on Sept. 20 at The Theatre at Solaire, will celebrate the timeless compositions of Cayabyab.

The concert will feature Cayabyab and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, with conductors Jonathan Velasco and Toma Cayabyab. Aside from Nievera, Madela, Escalante and de Lana, Lea Salonga, Ogie Alcasid, Sofronio Vasquez and Arman Ferrer are also set to perform.

They will be joined by the 200-member LIYAB Grand Chorale, composed of the Ateneo Chamber Singers, Imuscapella, Konsertus, Mass Appeal, Novo Concertante, PCSO Chorale, UP Concert Chorus and UP Manila Chorale.

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Portions of the concert proceeds will benefit the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Medical Foundation, the UP-PH Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines International Scholarship Fund. /ra